I don't have access to the map here. The question is, is the Ethiopia hex coastal? That is, is there any BLUE in the Ethiopia hex? From memory, no - the only terrain is mountain. So not coastal, and not subject to shore bombardment.

That also makes real-world sense; Addis Ababa is pretty far from the coast!

Ah, I see the problem now. The standard WIF map, using off map hexes for Africa, has Ethiopia lumped in with the other Italian possessions on the horn of Africa as it assumes a 39 start date. DOD with its 36 start date really needs the full Afica map, where Ethiopia is a landlocked, mountainous country, and Italy already owns the surrounding Italian Somaliland etc, so you can land boys in over time. With Italian starting transports, there is no chance at all that you could invade into the off map Ethiopian hex. I'm afraid you will need to use the African map - it is in the Vassal module (I cant remember if you are playing by Vassal or in the flesh).

Thinking about it, you do have Italian somaliland on the Asian map with a connector to Ethiopia, so could still build up the troops you need there. However, your 2 range TRS will take one extra turn to get there from Italy ( stage into Libya first, reorganise, then out into the Red Sea, return to base in It Somaliland. Painfully slow. )

Excuse my rustiness as we mostly use the full maps so I can't remember communication line rules, but aren't there more adjacent hexes to attack down a grey communication line? So you should be able to get three stacks to attack Ethiopia? Again, no map in front of me so apologies if the terrain doesn't let you.

If you are playing a game, sure go ahead and bombard. It is within the rules.

If you are doing an alternate history of how the war could have turned out, don't bombard. The simulation has errors and limitations, but Italians could never have done an amphibious invasion of Ethiopia, nor could they have used shore bombardment, as the coastal areas (Eritrea and Somaliland) were already under their control from the colonial era.

In other words, I'd say no, don't bombard but only because my sense of reality would make me insist on a house rule.